The Importance of Personal Hygiene

Date posted:
12 Jan 2017

Good personal hygiene is very important in today’s society for both health and social reasons. Keeping your hands and body clean is vital in stopping the development and spread of illness and infection. This simple habit doesn’t just benefit your health – it can help protect those around you too.[i]

Personal hygiene also has its social benefits. Since a good personal hygiene routine means caring for your body and washing regularly, it reduces the chance of body odour which can be embarrassing in social situations at work or at school.[ii]

What does a good personal hygiene routine look like?

We know that a good personal hygiene routine is important, but where is a good place to start? We’ve broken down some of easy steps for you and your family to follow which will help you to stay clean and combat any nasty germs on the body that could lead to illness or bad odours.

Hand Washing

The best place to start when thinking about personal hygiene is our hands. We are constantly using our hands; touching lots of different surfaces, greeting people, eating, typing at work or playing at school. So it should come as no surprise that our hands are one of the biggest carriers of germs.[iii]

Making sure you and your family practice good hand hygiene is one of the quickest and easiest ways to prevent illnesses such as coughs, colds, the flu and gastroenteritis (these can all be contracted or passed on through poor hand hygiene). To stop the spread of potential illness-causing germs,[iv] all you need to do is wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with water and soap, such as Dettol Original Liquid Hand Wash. Some situations when you should always wash your hands include:

Before eating or preparing food

Before picking up a baby or infant

After using the toilet

After coughing or sneezing, or being around someone who is ill

After handling animals[v]

Dental Care

Looking after your teeth and practicing good oral hygiene will ward off gum disease, tooth decay and any nasty infections. Remember that you must always:

Make sure you and your family ones brush your teeth twice a day after breakfast and before bed[vi]

Floss regularly

Store your tooth brush in a clean, dry place and replace it regularly (especially after illness)[vii]

Bathing

You should try to have a shower or bath daily using warm water and soap. During very hot weather it might even be a good idea to wash twice a day if possible. Daily washing is an important part of personal hygiene for a number of reasons:

Washing daily with soap such as Dettol Cool Bar Soap and warm water helps to prevent body odour because it will kill the bacteria on your skin responsible for the bad smell[viii]

If you suffer from any skin infections, such as athletes foot, carefully washing and drying the affected areas daily can help the condition[ix]

Wash your hair at least once a week using shampoo and conditioner can help to prevent head lice which can be very itchy and uncomfortable.[x]

If you have been out in the city, or caught in the rain taking a warm shower when you get home and using a soap like Dettol Gold Bar Soap will clean any harmful germs off your body[xi]

Hygienic Clothes

Dirt and bacteria can build up on your clothes too. As part of your personal hygiene routine it is important to take care of your clothes by washing and changing them regularly, especially if you or a family member has been unwell. To make sure your clothes are hygienically clean try adding Dettol Antiseptic Liquid to your laundry to kill any germs. This way your clothes will be clean and fresh when you put them on.

Personal hygiene doesn’t have to be difficult. Once you have a good personal hygiene routine in place it quickly becomes habit, so it is very important that you set a good example for your children to follow and encourage them to take care when it comes to their personal hygiene.